1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cleaning and dust collecting devices, and more particularly to a cleaner and chalk dust receptacle for chalk board erasers.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The cleaning of chalk board erasers has long been a messy and troublesome task. For this reason, the cleaning operation is usually postponed until several erasers are filled with chalk dust and require cleaning. The filled erasers are taken to an open area where the dust produced by the cleaning method will cause the least amount of harm from breathing the dust and settling on the surroundings. The cleaning operation heretofore consists primarily of beating two filled erasers together, or striking a filled eraser against a hard object such as the edge of a desk, generating clouds of dust which is inhaled by the person doing the cleaning and anyone else in the immediate area. When the dust settles, it covers the exposed surfaces of furniture, wall hangings, windows, and other objects in the cleaning area.
There are several patents which disclose various scraper and collection devices all of which are directed toward removing and collecting residue from the shoes of the user.
Perry, U.S. Pat. No. 2,843,870 discloses a shoe scraper and residue collector for vehicles comprising a flat plate mounted to the floor of the vehicle which receives a tapered rectangular receptacle having an open front end. The top of the receptacle is provided with a series of raised arcuate scraper elements facing toward the open end which open into the receptacle for scraping residue from the sole of a shoe.
Schneider, U.S. Pat. No. 1,042,977 discloses a boot cleaner comprising a rectangular pan member and a grate member having depending side walls which is removably mounted in the pan. The grate includes a series of spaced apart, upwardly extending scraping members which scrape dirt from the boot when moved thereacross.
Conner, U.S. Pat. No. 2,308,587 discloses a door mat adapted to prevent sand and mud from being carried into a room. The door mat comprises a container having an open top and an outwardly extending flange at its top edge. A frame is removably supported on the flange and includes an inwardly depending flange to which are secured a plurality of parallel scraper bars. The scraper bars have their upper edges disposed below the top of the frame, and a rubber mat is superposed upon the bars within the frame. The top of the mat is flush with the top of the frame.
Strader, U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,840 discloses a modular structure for trapping hazardous dust in a workspace comprising a shallow pan having a removable cover of expanded metal mesh. The pan may be engaged with other similar pans for assembling a walkway. The pan may be filled with liquid such as oil to retain the dust falling into the pan and dust being scraped from the shoes of a user by the expanded metal mesh.
The prior art in general, and none of these patents in particular, disclose a cleaner and chalk dust receptacle for chalk board erasers comprising a container member that has an open top, a bottom wall, a back wall, a front wall, and a pair opposed side walls which are provided with opposed outwardly arcuate convex beads extending longitudinally therealong, the container member being received and supported within a wall mounted cover member having an open front, a top wall provided with an opening therethrough, a back wall, and a pair of side walls extending from the open front to the back wall which are provided with opposed arcuate concave grooves extending longitudinally therealong for slidably receiving the beads of the container, and a scraper blade disposed on the top surface of the top wall extends transversely across the opening in the top wall for scraping chalk dust from the bottom surface of chalkboard erasers when they are drawn thereacross.